Blythe Danner recalls correcting Ben Stiller on how to milk a cat during Meet the Parents reunion

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This month marks 20 years since the hit comedy Meet the Parents came out, so the Today show brought together the main cast of the film to discuss some of its iconic scenes, and reveal just how intimidated Ben Stiller was by his co-star Robert De Niro.

Recalling when they shot their first scene, where they meet on the doorstep, Stiller tells moderator Hoda Kotb that just a face De Niro made in reaction to one of his lines broke him. “I cracked up in his face. Just started laughing. And then started sweating because I'm like, 'I can't believe I'm breaking character on the first scene, the first line. He's going to think I'm the worst.' But then there was a moment where he smiled and I then felt, 'OK, it's alright.' But from then on, I never felt any more comfortable actually."

As for the later scene everyone remembers, where De Niro famously utters “I have nipples, Greg, could you milk me?” Blythe Danner revealed that it was she who made sure Stiller had the mechanics down of just how Greg would milk their beloved family cat Jinx. "I remember, because my grandfather had a milk business. And I said, 'Oh Ben, the only thing I'm going to speak up about. I said, you really have to milk it like that.'"

Speaking of Jinx, while director Jay Roach remembered thinking De Niro would adopt the cat after they had gotten so close, actress Teri Polo says that “what was funny is that one of them afterwards was adoptable, and my mother ended up adopting one of the Jinxs."

As for anymore sequels to the film, after they’ve now done Meet the Fockers in 2004 and Little Fockers in 2010, Stiller and De Niro both said they were open to it, while Polo joked “I'm just riding the coattails, so whatever they say."

Watch the Meet the Parents reunion on Today above to hear more stories about making the 2000 comedy.

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